Holidays

Where to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry This Christmas in the PHX

Hearth ’61 is open Christmas day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on your holiday plans.
Hearth ’61 is open Christmas day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on your holiday plans. Courtesy of Mountain Shadows

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Santarchy helped kick off the holiday season earlier this month but there is still plenty of partying to come
Benjamin Leatherman

There is so much more to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day than opening presents.  There's eating and drinking and music and lots and lots of lights.  And did we mention drinking?  There are parties galore throughout the Valley.  And for those of you who don't like a traditional holiday dinner, there will be plenty of Chinese restaurants open.  Surely you've seen A Christmas Story by now.  Just click on any of the headlines for the full lists compiled by Phoenix New Times staff members.

12 Chinese Restaurants That Are Open on Christmas Day
Many believe in the sanctity of the eating of Chinese food on December 25, and what may have started as a Jewish tradition has now grown to become a widespread ritual even among those who celebrate the Christmas holiday. Because really, what's better than a second dinner of Peking duck and fried rice after a day of eating, drinking, and trying not to kill your family. Whether you're celebrating Christmas, here are a dozen metro Phoenix Chinese restaurants open on Christmas Day.


Hearth ’61 is open Christmas day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on your holiday plans.
Courtesy of Mountain Shadows
11 Places for Christmas Eve and Day Dining in the PHX
There’s no shame in enjoying a Christmas dinner at one of the Valley’s upscale eateries. Hotel restaurants especially want nothing more than for you to ditch the kitchen and spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day — or both — choosing from their prix-fixe menu or piling it on at the buffet. Here are 11 restaurants in the Valley offering Christmas Eve and day dining in metro Phoenix.

There will be no shortage of holiday partying.
Benjamin Leatherman
25 Places to Party on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the PHX
You’ve tackled the gifts, dealt with your family, and had more than your fair share of yuletide nonsense. Now what? You might consider getting out of the house for a few hours, either to escape or just stretch your legs, and head to one of the many bars, nightspots, or drinkeries that will be open on both Christmas Eve or Christmas night.

The Lavish Lox station from Jennifer’s Catering and more to-go options around Phoenix.
Jennifer’s Catering
6 Places With Holiday To-Go Options in the PHX
Not much sounds better than someone offering to take care of the cooking for you during a major holiday. Thanks to the many good-hearted eateries around the Valley, you can leave grocery shopping, cooking, and leftover allocations off your to-do list. Here are six restaurants offering pick-up and to-go catering, desserts, and entire reheatable meals — even a vegan option — in metro Phoenix.

The Polar Express has nothing on the Santa Train in Phoenix
Benjamin Leatherman
The 25 Best Holiday Light Displays in the PHX
From Thanksgiving night up until New Year’s Day, arrays of glowing bulbs will be popping up around the metro Phoenix area as everyone gets into the spirit of the season. You can see them pretty much anywhere and everywhere, from those adorning local businesses in your neighborhood to popular locations like the Phoenix Zoo.  Here's the ones we think are the most dazzling.

You'll be ready for the holidays with the Cranberry Creek cocktail — spiced rum, apple liqueur, and cranberries.
Courtesy of BLK
A Quick Guide to Holiday Cocktails in the PHX
The holidays are a time to indulge — and yes, cocktails count. Christmas cocktails are a fun way for bartenders and mixologists to underscore seasonal ingredients and for patrons to sip away in the glow of the bar area’s holiday décor. From peppermint martinis to Ugly Sweater Punch, here’s where to find your yuletide libations this month.
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No Volcano chose a Flaming Lips jam as their favorite holiday tune.
Mike Dee

9 Valley Bands Reveal Their Favorite Holiday Jams
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus, winter is a time for merriment (with booze, of course). Aside from overeating and growing discontentment over your weird uncle’s iffy politics, there’s one larger thread of celebratory commonality: music. So, in the spirit of the season, we’ve asked several Valley bands to share their underrated favorites. Those heartfelt carols and yuletide jams beyond the season’s barrage of “Blue Christmas” or “Let it Snow!” No matter what you celebrate, you’ll have something to drown out Aunt Barb.
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Chris Coplan has been a professional writer since the 2010s, having started his professional career at Consequence of Sound. Since then, he's also been published with TIME, Complex, and other outlets. He lives in Central Phoenix with his fiancee, a dumb but lovable dog, and two bossy cats.
Contact: Chris Coplan
Lauren Cusimano was the Phoenix New Times food editor from 2018 to 2021. Joys include eating wings, riding bikes, knowing everyone at the bar, talking too much about The Simpsons, and falling asleep while reading.
Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer at Phoenix New Times. He covers local nightlife, music, culture, geekery, and fringe pursuits.
Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

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